Alleging large-scale poll violations, bogus voting, TDP, BJP-Jana Sena demand repolling in Tirupati

The TDP, BJP and Jana Sena parties have demanded the Election Commission of India conduct re-polling in Tirupati.

In a letter to the ECI, TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu has alleged large scale fake voting, impersonation, and other malpractices by the YSRCP in the Tirupati Lok Sabha bypoll on Saturday.

In a similar letter to the ECI, AP-BJP unit chief Somu Veerraju accused the ruling party in the state of resorting to “large scale bogus voting, akin to booth capturing, not witnessed before in AP,” and asked the commission to countermand the polls.

Election officials reported 64.29 per cent voting in the Tirupati Lok Sabha bypoll.

BJP's ally Jana Sena called the Saturday events in Tirupati “organized rigging of votes” and demanded fresh polls, keeping the present poll officials away from the process.

Since Saturday morning, leaders of TDP, BJP and the Congress parties including their contestants have brought several instances of bogus voters caught red-handed at various polling booths to the public and social media notice with video evidence.

Naidu alleged that the “malpractices of YSRCP leaders have continued under the watchful eyes of the local election authorities despite the gross violations of election model code brought to the commission's notice.”

The former CM alleged that YSRCP leaders have brought thousands of outsiders, party henchmen to cast fake votes impersonating absentees/shifted/dead voters and “with a malafide intention of capturing booths, rigging elections and causing violence.”

“Such outsiders voted on behalf of existing voters too with fake EPIC cards. (When confronted), many of these impersonators were unable to tell their names, their father’s or spouse's name or their address,” Naidu said quoting the video clips.

Naidu questioned the presence of YSRCP minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, a non-local, in Tirupati and demanded that Peddireddy be dismissed as a minister, and arrested immediately.

The Opposition leader further alleged that the local law enforcement authorities have “instead of arresting the impersonators from outside Tirupati, have arrested the local TDP leaders who revealed the fake voters.”

“It is essential for the Election Commission to take drastic measures; else it will be a mockery of democracy. TDP demands for cancellation of election process in Tirupati Assembly segment of Tirupati parliamentary constituency and conduct of re-polling in the segment,” Naidu said.

The YSRCP which won Tirupati SC reserved seat in 2019 with 2.2 lakh votes majority, has targeted a higher majority this time. Peddireddy has made light of the charges, saying that the “TDP is resorting to such accusations as it could not match YSRCP's public support.”